As I continue an impromptu series on ways others’ work is making mine better, I need to draw your attention to a recent podcast conversation between three of the contemporary greats in leadership, work and team development: Brené Brown, Adam Grant and Simon Sinek (What’s Happening at Work: Part 1, Part 2).
Eavesdropping on this two-part conversation is like watching all-stars practice. I’ve been enjoying it in small doses over the last while so as not to rush past the gems of insight it contains. It’s worth a listen in its entirety, but here are three pieces of gold that caught my attention today:
- Brené mentions that in her work, only 11% of organizations translate their values into behaviours, and NONE of those have linked those behaviours to performance expectations. Dismal.
- Simon reminds us that optimism can coexist with darkness, anger and uncertainty. Optimism is “the undying belief that the future is bright,” which he labels as “incredibly realistic.” He says that the “struggle of daily life is managing the bumpy road toward idealism.” This resonates strongly with what I am learning about hope — it involves holding a belief in a positive future, seeing pathways to get there, and having enough motivation to keep moving along those paths. It is powerful, necessary, difficult and learnable.
- Adam asserts, “You are not a high performer if you don’t make other people better…We want teams to be better than the sum of their parts.” Amen.
Enjoy it!
